Unisphere Establishment Grows Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Unisphere Establishment grew its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 42.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,000,000 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 300,000 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines makes up about 1.9% of Unisphere Establishment’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Unisphere Establishment owned approximately 0.11% of International Business Machines worth $219,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Erste Group Bank raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, KGI Securities set a $242.00 price objective on International Business Machines and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $242.41.

International Business Machines Price Performance

IBM opened at $239.30 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.33, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $233.97. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $266.45.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The firm had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 114.97%.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. The company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments. The Software segment offers a hybrid cloud and AI platforms that allows clients to realize their digital and AI transformations across the applications, data, and environments in which they operate.